That's How Ya Do It, Son

I've spent two days chasing shorebirds and finding very little, but I still have a few items to share today.

Yesterday I wandered around Gilchrist County in a largely unsuccessful attempt to find shorebirds.  I encountered a grand total of five - one Killdeer that was heard but not seen and four Solitary Sandpipers in a small pond.  That's it.  Still, it was a beautiful morning to be out birding and I did add a Tree Swallow to my Gilchrist County list.

Since I didn't see many shorebirds, I decided to spend some time studying them using a link that was sent to me a few days ago.  The link led me to a three-part article by Cameron Cox entitled "North American Peeps - A Different Look at an Old Problem" on surfbirds.com.  The three parts comprise a terrific article that makes a lot of sense with excellent photos that illustrate each of the author's points.  The first part focuses on Least Sandpipers.  The second centers on Semipalmated and Westerns while the final part deals with Baird's and White-rumped.  If you're interested in shorebirds and haven't read the articles, you need to do it.  Here's the link:

http://www.surfbirds.com/Features/coxpeeps1006/coxpeeps1006.html

Paynes Prairie, One of my favorite places on earth!

Paynes Prairie can be breath taking in its beauty and a little daunting on a very hot, humid day.  I hiked the 1.5 miles to the observation platform this morning, again looking for shorebirds.  There were none.  Still, I had a really cool experience.  I stood on the platform watching two gators (pictured below).  One was a bull, maybe 12 feet long, massive and powerful.  The other was much smaller, perhaps the big guy's little boy.  Suddenly the big guy lifted himself out of the water, filled his lungs, and let loose with a powerful, menacing growl.  It was a sound out of prehistoric times; deep, guttural, thundering and challenging. "Hoooooah."  Then the little guy did the same, and though his growl was not as powerful as dad's, it still said, "This is my area and if you come in here, I'll have you for my dinner!"  Dad repeated his growl like rumbling thunder in advance of a storm.   His boy followed suit and then came a chorus of growls from about six more gators all around the platform.  The bull gator then turned to his young'un, gave him a brief glance as if to say, "That's how you do it, son," and swam away.

Awesome!

Here's how you do it, son ...